The present invention refers to an electric switch of a type having a detector probe and including a housing with a bottom portion and a top portion that is detachably secured to the bottom portion, with the probe having a mounting rotatably secured in the top portion by means of a fixture.
It will be understood that the term "electric switch" as referred to in general in the following description means any type of device including electronic, optoelectric and like components for receiving, evaluating and transmitting control impulses that are registered by the probe, whereby the probe itself may operate inductively, capacitively, optically, with ultrasonic and/or mechanically.
The German utility model DE-GM 83 10 483 describes a switch of this type in form of a contactless operating electronic switch in which the top and the bottom of the housing are connected together, on the one hand, by a plug-in flap and a holder, and, on the other hand, by screw fasteners. Thus, the assembly becomes relatively complicated. The mounting of the probe is secured in the top of the housing by means of a mounting which includes a one-piece spring in form of a hair needle engaging a circumferential groove of a trunnion of the mounting. This hair needle type locking element cooperates with separate abutments in the top so that the assembly of the switch becomes even further complicated. Further provided is a ratchet to permit the probe to be positioned in different rotational alignments. At the location of the ratchet, the probe is split and has besides the mounting a sensor element which can be arranged in various positions onto the mounting.